Four years after a collision with an electric scooter left his wife in a coma for a month, Leong Loon Wah and his three kids are still dealing with the fallout from the accident.
Their latest struggle? Getting the rider to pay up on almost $500,000 awarded to them by the State Courts.
Nicholas Ting Nai Jie, 21, the e-scooter rider who knocked down 57-year-old Ang Liu Kiow in 2016, has refused to pay $445,748.81 in damages and $25,000 in legal costs, Leong told The Straits Times through his lawyer on July 25.
Ting's lawyer S. Selvaraj explained to Lianhe Zaobao that his client is a full-time national serviceman with no assets. Even if Ting files for bankruptcy, Leong will not be able to recover much, Selvaraj added.
Expressing his disappointment in Ting's attitude, Leong told the Chinese daily he had decided to file a civil suit seeking damages from Ting on behalf of his wife as the rider had refused to offer additional compensation on top of the $2,470.65 ordered in criminal proceedings.
This was even after he had informed Ting of Ang's condition and medical costs through his lawyer and asked for Ting to propose a compensation sum, Leong said.
Since the accident, Ang has undergone physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy but is still not able to speak, read or write.
She also requires assistance with her daily activities such as eating and using the toilet and uses a wheelchair to get around.
Doctors have said her mental disabilities are permanent, The Straits Times reported.
Leong, who makes a little over $2,000 a month, says he has to bear the financial burden of Ang's medicine and treatment, as well as the salary of their domestic worker.
If Ting continues to refuse to pay the judgement sum, he could be summoned to court to be questioned on his assets. Leong could also apply for bankruptcy against him.
On Ting's end, he claimed in court that Ang also had a part to play in the incident as she "[created] a dangerous situation by dashing out" into his path.
The accident took place on a footpath near Block 541, Pasir Ris Street 51 in September 2016.
Ting had been riding his 14kg e-scooter with his girlfriend as a pillion rider at a speed of about 14 to 15km/h.
He did not slow down or sound his horn when approaching the bus stop, and ended up colliding with Ang, who had stepped out onto the footpath.
For causing grievous hurt by a negligent act, Ting, then a polytechnic student, was given a short detention order of 14 days in 2018 and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.
In September 2018, several MPs, including Zainal Sapari and Lee Bee Wah, had also called for third-party liability insurance to be made mandatory for users of Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs).
This would enable accident victims to claim damages from PMD users' insurance providers.
However, Dr Lam Pin Min, then Senior Minister of State for Transport, responded that it was more important to prevent accidents, citing input from a panel advising the Government on active mobility laws.
Following a string of other accidents — including one that resulted in the death of a 65-year-old woman — e-scooters were eventually banned from footpaths in November 2019.
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https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/e...s-woman-he-knocked-down-says-he-has-no-assets
